Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
तमुवाच महायोगी कृष्णद्वैपायनः स्वयम् / उपविश्य नदीतिरे शिष्यैः परिवृतो मुनिः
tamuvāca mahāyogī kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaḥ svayam / upaviśya nadītire śiṣyaiḥ parivṛto muniḥ
Entonces el gran yogui Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) mismo le habló. El sabio, sentado en la ribera del río, estaba rodeado por sus discípulos.
Sūta (narrator) introducing Vyāsa as the speaker within the dialogue frame
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
It does not directly define Ātman; it establishes the authoritative transmission context—Vyāsa as a mahāyogin teaching in a guru–śiṣya setting, which frames later metaphysical instruction.
The verse highlights the yogic authority of Vyāsa (“mahāyogī”) and the contemplative tīrtha setting (riverbank), a classic Purāṇic backdrop for instruction that later supports yogic disciplines such as restraint, meditation, and devotion.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it functions as a narrative bridge introducing Vyāsa’s teaching, within a Purāṇa known for Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis developed in subsequent passages.